Uttar Pradesh polls: Mayawati inducts Ansari brothers into BSP

27 Jan

Lucknow: The Bahujan Samaj Party, on Thursday, inducted MLA brothers, Mukhtar Ansari and Sigbatullah Ansari and former MP Afzal Ansari after the merger of their party Qaumi Ekta Dal, was rejected by the new Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav.

Announcing their induction onto the party, Mayawati also announced that Mukhtar Ansari would be the BSP candidate from Mau while his elder brother Sigbatullah Ansari would be the candidate from his Mohamedabad seat in Ghazipur district.

Mukhtar’s son, Abbas Ansari, would make his electoral debut from the Ghosi assembly seat. The BSP president said that the Ansari brothers came from an impressive family background and criminal cases had been set up against them by vested interests to check their growing influence on their community.

“The Ansari brothers were earlier in the BSP but had to leave due to pressure from the Samajwadi Party. I have spoken to them and no evidence of Mukhtar Ansari’s involvement in the murder of BJP MLA Krishnanand Rai in 2005 has yet been found.

The BSP does not believe in punishing someone for no fault of his but if someone is guilty of breaking the law, we do not spare him and ensure that he gets punishment”, she said. Mukhtar Ansari is lodged in jail since 2005.